The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-20
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN.
Jenny June in Her Sanctum-What She Says
About Women Journalists-OtherG Gossip.

About Women JournaIists-0therG Gossip.
Heaton
ut is thirty-two or thirty-three years ago,
now" said Jennie June. few days ago, 'since
came to New York to look for work on a news
paper. and how the situation has changed in that
length of time"
had climbed the stairs to Mrs Croly's snug
little perch Of an editorial Office up under the
roofs on the top floor Of Demorest's publish
ing house, and had pushed open the door to
see cup of bouillon steaming away on the
writing-desk and a pen scratching busiIy over
white paper.
"There was not in those days q woman at
work in any newspaper Office in the city" the
chatty correspondent went on, the ink ceased
for few minutes to f1ow and she leaned back
in reminiscent mood. II applied first at the
Sun Office thinking I might stand better
chance there than on some of the older and
larger papers. They stared at me in blank
amazement. To employ woman on a news
paper was thing almost unheard of. Margaret
Fuller ought to have paved the way by her
work on the Tribune, but she was in the city SO
short a time comparatively, that her example
seemed to be altogether lost. The Herald and
the Tribune both took articles from me, but
neither thought of paying for them. and it
looked as if the effort to find a place to do regu-
lar newspaper work was labor lost.
las l remember it now" and Mrs. Croly
looked up with laugh, ''the only consideration
that the feminine public got from the whole
body OF New York editors in those days came
in the shape of little fashion letter from Paris
in the Commercial Advertiser, and an occasional
translation from LIE Toilet in the Herald.
The change, when it did come, was sudden
one. l got chance on the Weekly Times. at
last, and within year after | began there was
hardly weekly paper of any standing III the
country that did not have woman AS CORE
spondent, or to edit column on topics supposed
to be of interest to women"
"And what sort of a business for women does
it make?" asked ''Would you with your ex-
rerience behind you. advise girl looking for
profession to try journalism
There few harder things that girl
try" said Mrs. Croly, thoughtfully, IF, instead
of combining herself to occasional fashion notes
and cossipy correspondence, she takes place
the regular staff of paper. and shoulders some
OF the serious work OF journalism. For the
FIVE years that was on the Weekly and Sunday
Times the staff never exceeded three, and for
| the most part included only two persons. That
was in war times. too. when people expected a
| good deal of life and fire from their papers.
Between us we wrote the whole sheet, except
| the weekly short story.
Il was the exchange editor, the dramatic
critic, the musical critic and the book reviewer
l never turned in less than two columns broad
columns they were, too of editorials and another
| politicians and generals. With all this kept Il D
a column and half of my special department
'parlor and sidewalk gossip and attended to
pretty much all the mail and telegraph matter
Once for three weeks. when the editor WAS laid
| up with rheumatism, wrote the whole paper. in
| Guiding his London letter-which got up this
| side of the water, by the way, and all
| ut was hard life, and it is not any easier,
| a de- mo- And vat q
| great many young women like it and are doing
| good honest work in it right along to-day.
/ 1.-The best chance for u woman still, especially
| in New York is in lines that women found their
way into first, correspondence, social topics-and
Id rather take that in it's best than in its worst
| sense-and book reviewing II happens often
| enough, especially in the smaller cities, that a
| woman Is accepted sobery as an editorial writer,
/ and her mother wit is utized-gratefully enough.
| too, since she works for small pay-oE. every
| topic with which the masculine brain is called
| upon to grapple; but such instances are as vet,
| l believe, the exceptions, though they multi
plying fast and may before long form the rule.
/ ut is of the pieasantest things of to day
that there is no sex in good work. Sooner or
| later women will find their level. and what they
can do there will not be lacking chances for the EN-
| to do AS yet we lack. the most of US, the train
| ing that gives exactness and accurate habits of
| mind, but fast we find out what our de-
| fciences are believe we have common sense
enough to remedy them"
what part of your newspaper work have you
enjoyed most'" asked. Mrs. Croly finished
with the decided emphasis of woman who be
lieves in the possibilities of women.
/ 81 used to bring down wrath upon my head.
she laughed, because / said | liked editorial
work best, because could do that in my sleep
Editorial writing suits the feminine tempera
ment, as a matter of course. The most that i
requires is positive opinion, and we women are
never lacking in that You study your subject
or not. as you choose Then you assume an au
thoritative tone and declare your sentiment
with distinctness and with all the force of tn,
| great impersoDal newspaper property behint
you. And the dear public reads and never one,
recognizes the hand of the single little woman
that is all that is really represented by the auto
cratic pomp of the editorial 'we'
Seriously though, women have had eompar
atively little chance show what stuff they ar
, made of in responsible newspaper positions
, Mrs. Nicholson, the proprietor of the New Or
leans Picayune, makes the best of editors. She
: has more than kept up the reputation of the pa
, per, and directs its policy with acumen and GOO
sense. But as rule, newspapers, which ar
t great pieces of property. money making con
Germs as much big mill or factory, now
!, | adavs require too much capital for many wome
y | as yet to have been associated in their owner
ship or to have had much to do with the real d
rection of their policy.
. women are only serving their apprenticesh
to the printers craft yet but they are doing tn Ell
y time we'll and faithfully When ] see reall
scandalOus thing in the columns of society gossi,
b l always hope and usually believe, matte
. what the name signed at the close. that it was
:. really written by woman. for l believe in tn
conscience we'll the aptitude of womer
t They have had their training to get, they hav
had to find out what their functions really arr
n and they have to take into account the rapi
o changes in the newspapers themselves whc
have developed amazingly in twenty year
Taking all things into account they have dor
we'll and will do better yet in future. The or
thing to hope for now is that with the ed,
cation. the new ambitions and the new work, tn
new woman will cling fast to the best part of II
old, the tender womanhood, wifehood. and mot
erhood that the world cannot do without"-ar
Mrs. Croly drew her chair up to the desk aga
and rang for boy to take away the boullle
that had grown cold waiting.
It ,-o